By Rob Maiorino

On Saturday, February 19th, we hosted our first Wander Wild hike of the year on Mount Spokane! We had 14 in attendance hiking the Mount Spokane Trail 100 up to Smith Gap. Throughout the hike, participants learned about winter ecology and the behaviors of animals during the winter, as well as a bit about general snow science and safety. Once we reached the warming hut at Smith Gap, we demoed a snow science pit showing how our mountain snowpack affects our water availability and aquifer, showing that our snowpack can be seen as the water-bank our aquifer relies on. We also got a chance to explain how The Lands Council's restoration efforts further below the alpine snowpack (in riparian zones) can make a difference in our aquifer and watershed.

Thank you to everyone who joined us! Stay tuned for our next Wander Wild event….